Key clinical point: Nivolumab may serve as a first-line systemic treatment option in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and Child-Pugh B (CP-B) cirrhosis.
Major finding: Patients receiving nivolumab vs. sorafenib had a 31% reduced hazard of death (adjusted hazard ratio 0.69; P = .008) and were less likely to discontinue treatment due to toxicity (12% vs. 36%; P = .001).
Study details: The data come from a retrospective real-world cohort study that included patients with HCC and CP-B cirrhosis who received nivolumab (n = 79) or sorafenib (n = 431) as the first-line systemic treatment.
Disclosures: The study was funded by the US National Institutes of Health. Some authors declared serving on the advisory boards of or receiving honoraria or research grants from various sources.
Source: Chapin WJ et al. Comparison of nivolumab and sorafenib for first systemic therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and Child-Pugh B cirrhosis. Cancer Med. 2022 (Jun 2). Doi: 10.1002/cam4.4906